Of Thunder and Lightning
by Analia the 1st
Summary: Elladan and Elrohir are frightened by a violent summer storm.


Title: Of Thunder and Lightning

Author: Analia (also known as Analia the 1st)

Beta: None. All mistakes are mine. I am looking for a beta though, so if you're interested, drop me a line through my LJ or by one of the email addresses listed above.

Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Erestor, Celebrían and Elrond

Pairing(s): None

Rating: PG

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. I'm only doing this for fun and I'm not going to make an ounce of profit (unless you count the reviews). Everything belongs to JRR Tolkien, Tolkien Estates, New Line Cinema, and all those other lucky buggers.

Summary: Elladan and Elrohir are frightened by a violent summer storm.

Author's Note: This story is AU, of course. However, it is also a side story to a much larger story arc I am currently working on. That story arc will not be posted until I'm completely finished writing it, so don't hold your breath. I am considering writing a companion story to this one, but it depends on how the main story goes first.

Reviews: Please, please, please? I love reviews. Good, bad, indifferent, critical. I'm not picky. I'd prefer critical reviews, but anything else is ok too.

Additional note: I will probably be returning to this fic and making a few adjustments once I can think clearly again.

Of Thunder and Lightning

Lightning flashed over the Last Homely House in Imladris, starkly illuminating the black night sky while thunder rumbled in between the bolts of light. Quaking in fear, the twin sons of Elrond huddled together under the covers of Elladan's bed, clutching to each other in terror every time thunder resounded through the valley. Rain pounded at the window panes, sounding like a thousand wargs scratching at the glass while trying to get in to devour the frightened elflings.

At a break in the storm, Elladan took the opportunity to whisper to his brother, "I'm scared."

"Me too," Elrohir whispered back. "I want Ada and Nana."

Elladan nodded, and with a fearful glance at out the window towards the violent storm, the twins quickly crawled out of bed and headed for the door. As Elladan grasped the handle, it turned under his fingers and both elflings jumped away from the door in surprise. The door swung open to reveal a tall, imposing figure standing on the threshold. The elf was wearing a rain soaked cloak and a sword hung from his hip to rest against his left thigh. His long dark hair was pulled into a braid which dangled over one shoulder.

The stranger reached out a hand towards Elladan and Elrohir, but as he did so a bolt of lightning cut through the sky directly above the House. The bright flash shed light on the figure's face and the twins clutched each other tightly in fear of this strange, silent elf with his stern countenance and eyes that blazed like fire. When the thunder hit, it shook the House on its foundations. The tumultuous sound took the twins by surprise, and thoroughly terrified, they dove as one under the bed.

Shaking like autumn leaves in a bitter wind, Elladan and Elrohir watched fearfully as the stranger's booted feet walked towards where they were hiding, then stop. When the stranger knelt down beside the bed, Elrohir buried his face against his brother's shoulder while Elladan closed his eyes and held his twin tighter.

"Stop! Go away!" Elladan cried, his voice hitching as he tried to hold back frightened tears.

The stranger paused in the act of lifting the edge of the coverlet, then he stood up again and walked away in the direction of the empty fireplace. As the sound of his footsteps faded away, the twins timidly opened their eyes only to shut them again as a clap of thunder rattled the window shutters against the side of the House. When Elladan and Elrohir dared to look again, they saw that the strange elf had lit a fire in the hearth. The warm glow of the fire banished the shadows in to the furthest corner of the room and, despite their fear of the stranger and the storm, the twins crawled toward the end of the bed.

"Tis alright, you can come out now," the stranger said softly when the twins poked their heads out from under the foot board of the bed.

The strange elf was kneeling in front of the fire so that his back was facing the elflings. He had unbraided his long hair and the ends of it nearly touched the floor. He had also removed his sword and it leaned up against the side on one of the chairs near the hearth. There was something familiar about him, and when the strange elf turned a little to face the window, Elladan and Elrohir realised who he was.

"Erestor!" the twins cried in unison. Erestor turned around fully as they launched themselves at their tutor. When he caught them in his arms, the twins all but sobbed with relief.

"Tis alright, pin neth," Erestor murmured soothingly as he cuddled the twins close. "It is just a thunder storm and one that will soon pass."

As if to belay that statement, another rumble of thunder sounded in the skies above, causing the twins to bury their faces into Erestor's rain damp tunic. Once they felt it was safe to look again, Elladan and Elrohir looked up at their teacher who was staring out the window with a preoccupied expression on his face.

"Erestor?" Elrohir asked softly, startling the advisor out of his thoughts. "Why does it do that?

"Why does what do that?" Erestor questioned.

"Why does the thunder have to be so loud?"

"There are many answers I can give for that question," said Erestor. "And they are all true enough. I don't know the true answer, but when I was little, someone very wise once told me that the thunder and lightning were caused by Morgoth."

"You mean Melkor?" Elladan interjected. "The one who made the orcs and things?"

"Yes," Erestor replied. "Melkor was also known as Morgoth after the destruction of the Two Trees."

"But the Valar imprisoned him beyond the Door of Night," Elrohir said. "How can he make thunder?"

"He makes thunder and lightning by kicking at the Door because he wants to be released from his captivity," Erestor explained. "His heavy boots make sparks that we see as lightning, and the sound he makes with his boot heels is the thunder."

"But what if he does kick the door down? What will happen then?"

"That cannot happen," Erestor assured his charges. "Your Ata'da Eärendil keeps watch over Morgoth, and the vile being will remain chained beyond the Walls of the World until Arda is remade." A low clap of thunder echoed through the valley as if to confirm Erestor's words. Again the twins hid their faces against their tutor's shoulder, but they did not seem to be as afraid as they had been before.

When the twins relaxed, Erestor smiled down at them fondly. "Are you less afraid of the thunder, now that you know what's causing it? You both seemed very frightened when I first entered."

"Yes," Elrohir said. "But it wasn't just the storm we were afraid of."

"You looked scary," added Elladan.

"Scary?" Erestor echoed. He pulled away slightly so that he could see the twins better. "What do you mean?"

"When you opened the door," the twins chorused.

"You looked like one of the Haradrim," Elrohir said.

"No," Elladan cut in. "He looked like Maglor Fëanorian."

"He can't look like Maglor," argued Elrohir. "Maglor was the nice one. He looked like Celegorm."

"Celegorm had red hair and he was the prettiest. Erestor looked more like Caranthir."

A bolt of lightning streaked through the clouds, causing the twins to pause in their argument. They glanced up at Erestor's face, and for a moment Elladan and Elrohir caught the tail end of an emotion that flitted across the advisor's countenance. A mixture of sadness and bitter regret was clear in the teacher's eyes, but the sons of Elrond had no time to ponder it as the rumbling thunder rolled through the night air. Elladan and Elrohir hugged tighter to Erestor, but they bravely left their eyes open.

"It is good to know that the two of you have been paying attention to your history lessons," Erestor said once the thunder had faded. "I did not think you were listening when we covered the Sons of Fëanor."

"We weren't really listening," confessed Elladan.

"Ada told us a lot about them," Elrohir added.

"I should thank him then, for ensuring that you actually learned your lessons," said Erestor.

"As I should be thanking you for looking after Elladan and Elrohir for us," a lilting female voice said from the doorway.

"Nana!" the twins exclaimed, bolting from Erestor's arms to be lovingly enfolded in their mother's embrace.

"No thanks are needed, Lady Celebrían," Erestor told her as he rose to his feet. "It was and is my pleasure."

"Thank you in any case, Master Erestor," Celebrían said. "The storm must have frightened them. It is good to know that you were here to soothe their fears."

"I wasn't scared, Nana," Elrohir piped up.

"Yes you were, you scaredy cat," Elladan shot back. He turned to face he mother and said sweetly, "I wasn't scared, Nana. I was real brave!"

"Was not! You were just as scared as me!"

"I am sure you both were very brave," Celebrían cut in, smoothly staving off a full fledged sibling fight.

"How are the injured warriors, my lady?" Erestor asked.

"They are better than expected," replied Celebrían. "The mud and the rain made the wounds appear to be more serious than they truly were, so Elrond believes their recovery will be swift."

"That is good to hear, milady," said Erestor. "When our scouting party found them, I feared the worst. I am thankful to hear that the wounds were not life threatening." He moved to pick up his sword from where is stood against the chair then bowed to the Lady of Imladris and her sons. "If you will excuse me, Lady Celebrían, I would go and see how they fair before I retire for the night."

"Night, Erestor," the twins said as the advisor headed for the door.

Erestor smiled at them fondly as he opened the door. "Good night, young ones. I will see in the morning for your lessons." With a final bow, the dark haired elf left, closeing the wooden door soundlessly behind him.

Once they were alone, Celebrían turned her attention to her twin sons. She gently shooed them towards Elladan's bed and tucked them in gently once they were settled under the covers.

"Nana?" a sleepy voice asked as Celebrían moved to bank the fire.

"Yes, ionen?"

"Is it true that Morgoth is the one who makes the thunder?"

Puzzled by the question, Celebrían looked up from her task. "Who told you that?"

"Erestor did," said Elladan.

"We got scared 'cause it was so loud, and after we came out from under the bed, Erestor told us that the thunder and lightening couldn't hurt us because Morgoth was locked away behind the Door of Night," Elrohir added.

"And he makes all the noise with his boots because he wants to get out," Elladan chimed in.

"That sounds like a very good reason," Celebrían agreed. "But why were you hiding under the bed?"

"We were going to come find you and Ada because of the storm, but Erestor came in and he looked really scary, so we hid under the bed," Elladan told her.

"Why did he look scary, Nana?" Elrohir asked.

The question caused Celebrían to pause as she dusted off her hands. "What do you mean?" she asked. When she thought of her husband's chief advisor, scary was not one of the words that came to mind.

"Erestor looked scary when he opened the door," Elladan explained. "His eyes looked like fire."

"Perhaps it was a reflection of the fire on the hearth," said Celebrían.

"But there wasn't a fire when he came in," Elrohir protested.

"Then it was a trick of the storm," Celebrían said.

"But Nana-"

"No buts," Celebrían said firmly. "It is late and you both need sleep."

"But what about the storm?" Elladan asked.

"It went away while you were with Erestor," assured Celebrían. When the twins made noises of disbelief, she motioned to the window. Outside, the rain and the thunder had ceased, and the faint twinkling of the stars was visible through the breaking cloud cover.

"Good night, ionneth," Celebrían said softly.

"Night, Nana," came the chorused reply.

Smiling to herself, the silver haired ellith silently left the room and headed for her own chambers, intent on finding her own rest before the advent of dawn.

Definitions:

Ada- Father

Nana- Mother

Ata'da- Grandfather

ionneth- my sons


End file.
